Workforce+planning+-+Data+Manager

Ascot Vale PS has identified our enabling multi-age structure and parent participation and involvement as areas of strength within our school community. This is an attribute that Staff and the School Council wish to maintain, and even extend as relevant, into community partnerships with individuals and local organisations. Building upon and extending these strengths has been the impetus and central design elements in our Design Team- Pedagogy, Space research project 2007- 2008 and Wider Workforce field trial 2009-2010, including a learning exchange to the UK. School work areas and classrooms have not traditionally been set up to support community collaboration and, in rethinking our spaces and they way they are used and equipped for 21st century learning, this needs to be considered and changed to improve our efficiency of operation, to respect confidentiality and privacy needs and to assist our core purpose and mission- supporting quality learning and teaching for all students. Ascot Vale PS is a Western Metropolitan Region school within the Moonee Valley Network. As part of a region wide agenda for improvement the school has attended leadership and school based coaching training in Literacy and Numeracy throughout 2009. Consequently, the school has set the following goals and objectives in relation to the WMR Blueprint for Improvement: __Literacy__ 1. Classroom libraries to be established by the end of 2009 then maintained by students 2. Individual teacher-student reading conferences and regular journal entries from 2010 3. All teachers supported to implement Top Level Structure and QAR comprehension strategies in their classroom –as ready/ coached 4. To allow students up to 90 minutes per day of independent reading time from their own selection of ‘just right’ texts from the beginning of 2010 5. Understanding of and consistent practice within the one hour reading block. __Numeracy__ 1. Maths Walls operational in all classrooms as ready 2. Individual Maths journals- student entries around Maths understandings- as ready/coached 3. Open problem solving a significant proportion of Maths lessons (including 10 steps of problem solving) 4. At least 5 hrs of Maths per week in 2010 Unit timetables 5. Multiplicative Thinking diagnosis used across the school as per AVPS Assessment Schedule 6. Consistent format to Maths lessons by all teachers- Warm Up, Student Activities, Sharing- as ready/ coached 7. All classrooms adequately resourced per WMR recommended list of Maths equipment and materials using 2010 program budgets. __Assessment and Reporting__ AVPS Assessment and Reporting process trialled in 2010, evaluated early 2011. Via Staff, Parent and School Council meetings and informal discussion the following issues have been identified (and categorised) as areas for improvement and, in some cases, reform. __High Impact/ Quick Wins__ * An updated and clearly communicated Student Management policy * Adequate ICT/ Laptop technician support (Intercom system b/w rooms?) * Clear boundaries and expectations around classroom and office operations communicated to all. e.g. Classroom access times for students and parents, particularly 8.45 – 9.00 a.m, is not consistent across all Units * Extended ‘Handover’ time when students change teachers * Parent /Volunteer work space constantly available. What about socially? * The office area processes and documentation (visitors, lates, early leavers, notes home etc…) needs to be streamlined, particularly efficiency and quality control improvements of any school publications, notices, letters * Opportunities for increased participation for Fathers- in learning programs and social events to allow Dads to meet together more often * Clarification of First Aid role and ongoing training __Medium Impact/ Difficult__ · Is AVPS ‘hidden’? Raising our profile and visibility within the community · Security /locking systems of buildings need rethinking as the use of the facilities change and possible extended usage · Student lateness to school in the morning is at unacceptable levels · Opening up the school facilities to the community for broader use in and out of school hours requires policy development, monitoring and coordination and a costing schedule – particularly for weekend access and use __High Impact/ Difficult__ · The need to change the organisation of teacher work, the timetable and teaching spaces available to deliver a Personalised //(connected to student interests and passions as well as individual needs)// Learning Plan for every student from 2010 onwards- including an evaluation of programs for special needs (non PSD) students · Providing individual student /teacher conference time yet meeting all other DEECD requirements and working within current staffing workforce agreements · The reception area and information available from this point needs rethinking and/or renovating · Reporting to Parents in a way that increases their participation as well as developing increased student involvement and responsibility for their own learning.

__Current Situation and a Rationale for Change: //What does the data tell us?//__ The school is viewed positively and is known as a welcoming, caring environment where students feel listened to, valued and safe. Student motivation and confidence levels are high generally and the students at AVPS achieve well academically (above State mean in Literacy and Numeracy). The curriculum programs offered meets all DEECD requirements, with the exception of LOTE, but parent opinion indicates an interest in options for extra curricula activities at the school. Parent would also like to see more constant communication about learning between home and school. Staff adhere to our Homework guidelines but it appears that parent opinion may be quite different regarding this matter and even divided amongst the parents themselves. Staff opinion is that curriculum coordination and role clarity could improve and that a more consistent discipline policy and approach is needed at the school. Opinions from parents and staff related to classroom behaviour still sit at or above State means but have declined slightly overall. Trend data from the student attitudinal survey indicates they hold positive opinions around their wellbeing and relationships with each other and their connectedness to school and their teachers. What they do not rank so highly is the teacher empathy and stimulating learning elements of the survey. At the beginning of 2009, the staff curriculum days were used to develop an agreed set of principles around a school designed process of assessing individual student ability and needs that would enable us to deliver a personalised learning plan (PLP) for each child. Teacher professional learning groups met regularly throughout the year to share and develop their own ideas around PLP’s and the work they were doing with a small group of students in their own Unit/classroom. P/1, 2/3/4 and 5/6 teachers met as groups to do this work. Staff met throughout term 4 to share this to finalise an agreed assessment process at AVPS that enables a PLP for every student at the school in 2010. In 2009, 40% of students had a PLP. Staff repeatedly cite time to meet with individual children as a major block to achieving this objective. Educationally and theoretically, the shared vision for learning is clear. The pragmatics of delivering PLP’s is where we lack ideas from others or models from other schools that we can copy or learn from. What can the leadership team do to ensure support and success to achieve this innovation? Records of attendance are well above State mean but lateness logs show a different story. For example, over the August period, 419 students were up to 20 minutes late to school over a period of 21 school days. Student lateness to school is delaying the beginning of more formal lessons each day and therefore impacting upon the time available for teaching and learning. Where Staff welcome parent involvement and assistance, clear boundaries around their lesson preparation time before school and in breaks needs to be managed and communicated more clearly. A recent survey of unit timetables revealed inconsistencies across Units in this regard. It is agreed that classroom administrative tasks are also reducing the teacher time available to all students. For example, adding 10min. /day now used to mark rolls would add 33.3 extra hours of learning time to each class per year. Timetable allocations against different VELS strands vary without a logical explanation or agreement between Units. Mandates regarding the time allocated to Literacy and Numeracy teaching and learning have been communicated to Leadership teams and Coaches at the WMR Blueprint professional development and schools will be accountable for responding to recommended time allocations and specific classroom practices from 2010 onwards. Amidst any review, it would also be timely to evaluate the curriculum planning cycle at the school as this has not been done for many years. We have only one full time Business Manager/ office administrator/ receptionist/ parent helper working across a broad portfolio of tasks, some with specific timelines, and direct financial leadership responsibilities. We have only one administration workspace and many parents/volunteers needing to access office equipment to enable them to help us. Confidentiality and privacy breeches are possible when the office work space is shared. Access to a computer is inadequate in meeting the needs of everyone and the office computer cannot be used by parents/volunteers when it serves the school’s administration network. It needs to remain secure and used only by the Business Manager, Assistant Principal or Principal. The office workload can be extreme at busy times in the term and at the end of the month so streamlining processes around excursions and accepting payments would help. Receipting money continually can dominate in a disruptive and time intensive way. A large amount of cash on site also presents banking issues in relation to the coin to be counted, carried and securely stored, particularly when the office and phones need to be manned full time too. Valuing the support of parents/ volunteers as classroom helpers, Clubs leaders and sports coaches etc… more adults are moving in and around the school in a variety of exciting ways and at different times throughout the day. This involvement will increase once the library has been refurbished and the new buildings are accessible as we have specifically designed around community involvement and joint use of our facilities. Whilst benefitting from the obvious positives of this way of working together, Management will need to be mindful of any safety and security issues community use and access might introduce to the school. How is the office area and the locking system best organised to maintain a safe and secure environment for all? How do we set up gates, doorways, signs and office registers to implement our recently reviewed Visitors Policy? Do we need a different workforce on site during the school day and how will we accommodate weekend access and joint use of our facilities? The Strategy Team (our designated Workforce Field Trial Change Team WFFT) met with parents/ School Councillors, and ESO rep and our DEECD Innovation Leader in October 2009 to deepen our understanding of our current issues and to ponder how workforce reform might assist us, ultimately, to improve learning for all our students. The group compiled a list that they agreed was worth sharing and celebrating with the school community. These do not clearly indicate which of our key stakeholders they represent but what is clear is that so many good things happen at Ascot Vale PS!  · Happy environment · Opportunities for children to perform / exhibit their work · Multi aging · Student and Teacher confidence · Good listeners · Parent involvement/support · Buddy System · Confidence in teachers teaching my child · Open and positive parents and staff · Teachers are approachable · Aides / ES staff · Using first names for teachers · Having new Literacy and Numeracy regional initiatives · School open to change · Musical Programs / options · Student Investigations · Food! · Welcoming of different cultures · Acceptance of difference (in others) · Personal/ supportive of community members · Participation and inclusion · School is small by design · Welfare of all is considered · Teachers are learners · Ongoing relationships · Loyalty to school and staff · Positive environment created by staff · Prin & AP monitoring play grounds – visible to community too · Issues are followed up  · Team Teaching

The following table documents their further thinking and recommendations around matters that they believe would have a positive, high impact if changed/ improved. These suggestions have been allocated to existing committees for critique, development and amendment as collectively agreed. This work will also form the basis and rationale underpinning our WFFT action plan for workforce reform and direct our 2010 Annual Implementation Plan (AIP). This discussion paper begins our School Self Evaluation to help us prepare our 2010-2013 School Strategic Plan. Any policy review? Communication to parents || Strategy Team || Working Bees ||  || Fundraising Committee || Twitter Account Postcards distributed Choir Queen’s Park Local Paper ads/ articles || RMIT Communication projects || Community & Resources sub-committee/ School Council || Refit front office Access security system/ BER || Prin/AP/BER || Marked in roll Slogan on newsletter ||  || Student Welfare committee || Teachers and students together longer than a year- know them well Bring in experts, visiting staff, PSD meetings Parent volunteers/ Clubs 40% students with a PLP Draft Assessment Schedule and A&R process to trial 2010 PD/ Curriculum day focus Investigations in P-2 Student Digital portfolios Student goal setting beginning || Look at other schools- models Understand how we use time then re-think What can we give up/change? Seek support of wider community Survey students, staff, parents around their interests/passions for learning. Collate the data and present findings Conduct community assets audit-how do we add ‘value’? Review whole school curriculum planning cycle Business sponsorship? || All staff/ staff meetings || (teachers complete) Maths Understandings (students complete) Learning Goal/ A&R record sheet (teachers complete) Individual Student Digital portfolios (students complete) Learning Studio 2010 timetable || All staff/ Staff meetings || Personal and Social page extra P/T interviews Communications book Newsletter Parent Reps (and minutes) Reviewed A& R policy || Student lead 3-way confs. Staff PD More info on website PLP’s Extend P/T interview time to include shared goal setting Goal feedback sheet to parents with end of year report || AP Staff Meetings PLT meetings || __Proposed 2010 school structure:__ 5 Units, 9 classes (P/1/4/5/6, P/1/5/6, 2/3/4, 2/3/4/5, P/1/2) ­__Proposed Staffing:__ Principal Assistant Principal (0.6 AP, 0.4 PE) Learning Manager (0.7) Learning Support (0.5 ESO Level 2) Student Data Manager (0.5 ESO Level 1) Art (0.4) LOTE/ Italian (0.2) 9 x classroom teachers Teacher assistant (0.4 ESO Level 1) 5 x Integration Aides
 * School Improvement ||  What have we done already?  ||  Proposed Change(s)  ||  Referred to…  ||
 * Student Management Policy ||  ||   || Student Welfare Committee ||
 * ICT /Laptops/ Tech Support ||  ||   || ICT coordinator ||
 * Boundaries and Expectations ||  || Consistent practice across Units
 * Handover Time || Day 3 Curriculum Day used annually for this work. || Parent Feedback sheet with ’09 end of year reports || AP ||
 * Parent Work Space || Janet and Cheryl meeting regularly ||  || Extra-ordinary Admin meetings (incl. parents) ||
 * Office Area documentation || As above ||  || As above ||
 * Fathers involved || Father’s Day Breakfast & Stall
 * First Aid || Level 2 training for ES staff ‘09 ||  || Admin ||
 * Raising AVPS profile within the community || New website
 * Security on site ||  || Mirror in Admin corridor
 * Student Lateness || Sign in book in front office
 * School Facilities Use policy development ||  || Policy development around safe and extended use of facilities and grounds. || Community & Resources committee ||
 * Personalising Learning || Multi-age structure
 * Student/ Teacher Conference time ||  || Reading Conference journals
 * Reporting to parents || Changed format/ QuickVic
 * School Community Partnerships to Personalise Learning**
 * ASCOT VALE PRIMARY SCHOOL**

STUDENT DATA MANAGER WORKFORCE FIELD TRIAL PARAPROFESSIONAL

//Rationale for Positions:// In creating personalised learning plans for all students at AVPS and, in planning and discussing this option with staff and parents, we would like to propose new ESO positions at the school to assist teachers to individually profile each student, undertake some assessment and take some common administrative tasks from the teaching role. School Community partnerships are integral to the Learning Studio design and all the partnerships we hope to establish will have student passions, interests and identified learning needs as their central purpose. Many of these partnerships will be formed with our existing parents. As a team, these staff members would help students to track and reflect upon their own progress and be involved setting student learning goals and gathering individual and common areas of interest. As well, the role would establish and maintain school records, documentation and individual student digital portfolios. This support role would assist the school in its preparation for the Ultranet. Currently, all of these tasks cut into the time available for teachers to plan, teach and assess individual student achievement. In 2009 we have 40% of students with a PLP. Our target for 2010 is 100% of students with a PLP. Time for teachers with students…..

//Expected roles and responsibilities Student Data Manager:// · Support staff in the implementation of the agreed schedule of assessment and individual testing as requested by teachers · Online On-Demand school based manager · Data collection- parent, student and staff (For example, student, staff and parent passions/interests all surveyed, opinion surveys, attendance/ lates) · Establish and maintain school agreed student record system- folders and electronic portfolios (the latter are maintained by the students themselves and this staff to meet with individual students to assist them) · To update and report upon our school students at risk database · Ultranet preparation and implementation support · Member of Strategy (leadership) Team

//Expected roles and responsibilities Learning Partnerships Manager:// · Coach staff and parents around identified areas for improvement · Broker school community partnerships and learning opportunities that match identified needs and interests · Liaise with integration aides and current literacy support staff member · Curriculum planning and incursion/excursion support for teachers · Member of Strategy (Leadership) Team //Whole School Assessment and reporting schedule/ gant chart.// //What data does the school keep, stop or start collecting?// //PR Capacity Matrix around personal learning and WMR Blueprint strategies for Numeracy and Literacy// //Learning Studio timetable// see video from UK.tv - workforce reform